Baseball: Detroit Tigers not as good as advertised

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello is greeted by manager Jim Leyland, left, after the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Sunday, June 30, 2013, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The American League Central race was to be a mismatch, a rout, a romp, a laugher.

It wasn't whether the Tigers would win it, but when and by how many games -- 10? 15? 20?

Yet, as June turns to July, and the Tigers are moving in reverse rather than forward.

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They were methodically beaten, 3-1, Sunday at Tampa Bay. Cleveland won its fourth straight game. The Tigers and Indians are now tied for the division lead.

A week ago, the Tigers held a four-game lead. They had won three out of four games from Boston during a much-anticipated weekend series at Comerica Park.

That was before three straight home losses to the Los Angeles Angels, who look a lot better on paper than on the field, and losing two of three at Tampa Bay. The Tigers have a 28-27 record since the beginning of May.

The Tigers have two glaring flaws. Their bullpen is decidedly mediocre and they badly lack left-handed offensive production from anyone other than Prince Fielder.

Their starting pitching, tabbed as arguably the best in baseball, has fallen off track. Other than a spectacular performance by Max Scherzer, who is a stunning 12-0, Tiger starters have not lived up to their advance billing.

Other than one of their victories over Boston, the Tigers haven't rallied in the late innings. Holding a lead, on the other hand, is dicey because of their unsettled bullpen situation.

The unbeatable Tigers suddenly looked beatable, even in their dreadful division, which, and not without reason, is often tabbed the American League Comedy Central.

The Indians, although improved, still don't seem all that threatening. But consider this fair warning: Neither did Oakland or Baltimore last season -- and both made the playoffs.

This is where Cleveland catching the Tigers sooner instead of later can actually be an advantage.

There was little urgency for general manager Dave Dombrowski to react to the Tigers' obvious flaws when they held a comfortable lead in the AL Central (it was 5 1/2 games as recently as June 17).

The Tigers were winning enough. Cleveland wasn't winning too often. The schedule was in the Tigers' favor. There were a lot of home games (the Tigers are 26-16 at home compared to 17-21 on the road). Now the Tigers are in the midst of an 11-game road trip. Their next four games are at Toronto, and the Blue Jays are playing better. The four games after that are in Cleveland. The halfway point of the season is Monday. The Tigers are not on pace to win 90 games.

Now the good news: This is nothing new. The Tigers were below .500 last year at this time -- 39-41. In 2011, they also had a 43-37 record at this stage.

Both years, the Tigers benefited a great deal from late-season trades. They need to be active again to win the AL Central for a third straight year.

All the talk is about the Tigers needing a closer, but they need more than one veteran part for the bullpen. Don Kelly and Ramon Santiago, the 24th and 25th players on the Tigers' roster, do not provide late-inning punch off the bench. It's a factor in the lack of late rallies.

Improving the Tigers' left-handed hitting is another area Dombrowski would be wise to address sooner instead of later.

The Tigers made a tremendous postseason run last season, but it was made possible by the White Sox losing as much as the Tigers winning to end the regular season.

The Indians also faded after pushing the Tigers early in 2011. What if they don't fade this season?

At least the Tigers' flaws are crystal clear.

Believing the Tigers can win the division without fixing them would represent risky business.

The longer the division race stays close, the more the Tigers' margin for error is reduced.

They aren't running away with the AL Central race, and there are no excuses why.

Patience isn't necessarily a virtue at this point. The time has arrived for the Tigers to be proactive.